Since she was chosen by Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Palin has helped the GOP ticket erase a once-wide lead held by Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois on the question of who best understands women's issues, Politico, a Washington publication, reported Monday.

Citing a survey by pollsters Kellyanne Conway and Celinda Lake for Lifetime Television, the Web site said the McCain-Palin team holds a 44 percent-to-42 percent lead over the Democratic ticket on who has a "better understanding of women and what is important" to them. Obama held a 52 percent-to-18 percent lead on the question in July, the pollsters said.